The Desire of the Loneliest Heritage
by AshMiliuTave
Summary: When Princess Celestia presents Twilight Sparkle with a crisis in Cloudsdale all of the ponies get involved to help; Fluttershy and Rainbowdash more so than the others. FlutterDash. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE :D femslash (eventually) so, don't read if you're not into that..

DISCLAIMER: I don't own MLP: FiM, wish I did!

The still spring air enveloped Twilight Sparkle as she worked on a new magic spell. With Spike close beside her, the unicorn pony flipped through the reams of books that surrounded her. The little unicorn pony's concentration deepened and her horn began to glow brighter. She was so near completing the spell when a bright green haze clouded her vision and broke her concentration.

"Shoot," Twilight exclaimed as all of her efforts were thwarted.

"It's a letter from the princess!" Spike shouted as he opened the scroll that fell into his hands.

Twilight sighed gently in her good natured manner and asked, "Well, what does it say?"

Spike began to read:

_"Dear Twilight Sparkle, my star pupil,_

_There is a terrible crisis that has fallen upon the Pegasus ponies of Cloudsdale. I need you to come visit me in Canterlot right away so that we can deal with this problem immediately. I will arrange transportation for you and expect to see you and Spike promptly._

_Signed,_

_Princess Celestia"_

"Oh my goodness, Spike!" Twilight gasped. "We need to head out to Canterlot right away." The little unicorn pony sprinted into the library to pack a saddle bag. Just as she was gathering up her final belongings to bring to Canterlot with her, a small chariot drawn by two large Pegasus ponies pulled up by her door.

"Thank you gentlecolts for coming so fast," Twilight said, the worry evident in her voice. Twilight and Spike jumped in the chariot just as Rainbow Dash flew down.

"What's with all the commotion, Twilight?" The little Pegasus questioned.

"There's a crisis that the princess needs my help with," Twilight called out as the Pegasus ponies quickly drew her into the sky and away from a perplexed Rainbow Dash.

"What was that all about?" Rarity asked, walking up behind Rainbow Dash. "I noticed the chariot up in the sky and as soon as I made my way out of the shop and over here they were gone!"

"Uhh, I don't know," Rainbow Dash answered in her slightly raspy voice. "Something about the princess and a crisis." The brightly colored Pegasus pony shook her head. "It's always something with Twilight Sparkle."

"Hmm, yes. Well, I hope everything is alright," Rarity said, not at all satisfied by Rainbow Dash's response.

"Yeah, me too," was all Rainbow Dash said before she flew back up into the clouds, leaving Rarity to ponder the possibilities of the princess's crisis.

It didn't take the two muscular Pegasus ponies long to fly Twilight and Spike to Canterlot. As soon as their hooves touched the ground they were greeted by Princess Celestia herself. The usually graceful princess looked quite flustered. She also looked as though she hadn't slept well for quite some time.

"Twilight Sparkle, I am so glad you came," Princess Celestia greeted the small unicorn pony.

"Of course, Princess." Twilight smiled up at her, "What do you need my help with? Is everypony okay?"

"I hope so, Twilight Sparkle. Come inside and I will explain everything to you." Princess Celestia turned and walked into the castle closely followed by her faithful pupil and Spike.

* * *

><p>Back in Ponyville, news spread fast of Twilight's quick departure. Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack all assembled in town to talk about the unicorn pony's sudden leave of absence. It was obvious that all of Twilight's friends were worried; Fluttershy's head was bowed lower than usual and she absent mindedly traced circles in the dirt with her hooves. Rainbow Dash rustled her wings and alternately paced on the ground and in the air. Rarity wandered around sighing heavily and exclaiming "oh my" every few steps. Applejack stood still with a very pensive look scrawled across her face. Pinkie Pie was, well... Pinkie Pie: she jumped up and down, that irrefutably happy look splashed on her face.<p>

"Oh, I wonder what could possibly be wrong," Rarity wailed. The striking unicorn pony chewed nervously at her bottom lip.

"I bet it ain't nothin' Twilight can't handle," Applejack stated fiercely, despite her internal fretting over her friend and the mystery crisis.

"Yeah! That's the spirit, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash landed and reared up.

"I sure hope you're right Applejack," Fluttershy mumbled quietly as she looked up towards Canterlot.


	2. Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Much thanks to my lovely beta Watercolourwings 3 We'll start to get into the Flutterdash next chapter, promise ;)

Twilight Sparkle was lead through the castle to a spacious room. Half-empty coffee mugs lined the desks and gave the room and dull and musty odor. The walls were covered with charts and graphs, all visual representations of statistical information of Equestria. This room was typically a meeting room for the princess to discuss any matters concerning the ponies of Equestria, now it was turned into a workplace for the actuary and statistician ponies.

"These ponies work very hard all year long gathering information about the ponies of Equestria. Usually everything is perfectly alright, but recently they discovered a shocking trend relating to the Pegasus ponies of Cloudsdale," Princess Celestia said to Twilight and Spike.

Twilight began to worry even more than before; two of her best friends were from Cloudsdale. Her heart sank a little further as she glanced around at the graphs and noticed a reverse J-curve denoting a rapid drop in the population of the Pegasus ponies from Cloudsdale.

"Why has the population of Pegasus ponies dropped so much, Princess?" Twilight asked.

"It seems that over the past decade all of the male Pegasus ponies have become sterile. We have no idea why, but we do know that we are losing Pegasus ponies fast." A frown drew itself across Princess Celestia's muzzle as she spoke those words.

"That's awful!" Twilight gasped. "What can we do to help them?"

"That is why I've summoned you here, Twilight. We need to find a spell to fix this problem or there will be no more Pegasus ponies. You are my most bright and promising student, if anyone can help me, it's you."

Twilight was stunned. She hadn't really noticed the population drop since most of the Pegasus ponies remained in Cloudsdale and she couldn't go there. Her mind reeled trying to come up with a solution for this problem.

Possibilities flew through her brain and were quickly discarded by her logical mind. _What if we took sperm from an Earth pony and infused it with that of the Pegasus ponies? _No. _What if we cloned the Pegasus ponies? _No. _What if we bred the Pegasus ponies to Earth ponies and see if the offspring can fly? _No. _What if we combined the DNA of two mares instead of a mare and a stallion? _No.

But then again, magic wasn't logical or rational. The little purple pony shook her head, hoping for an Etch-a-Sketch effect and have all the negativity disappear. She needed to remember that it was magic that she was dealing with and she had defied the improbable in the past. She skimmed over the ideas in her head again and tried to match them up with corresponding spells that she already knew. Unfortunately, her area of expertise wasn't in Pegasus fertility. She had no prior knowledge of any spells that could work for her ideas.

"Twilight Sparkle," Princess Celestia said gently, noticing her student deep in thought.

Twilight was startled to lucidity. "Sorry Princess Celestia, I'm trying to think of ways to help," Twilight responded.

"Quite alright, Twilight," the princess chuckled softly. "Would you care to share some of your thoughts?"

"Sure!" Twilight began enthusiastically. "Well, at first I was thinking that maybe would could infuse an Earth pony's sperm with a male Pegasus pony and then see if it would breed a full Pegasus. Then I realized that even with all the magic in the world we couldn't turn an Earth pony into a Pegasus pony. Then I thought: what if we combined the reproductive DNA of two female ponies?"

"Hmm," Princess Celestia mused. "You know what, that might actually work. Theoretically we would just need to alter a few minor things that could be easily achieved with a physiological matter spell."

Twilight Sparkle seemed very hopeful at the Princess's encouragement. "Spike," Twilight called. "Can you find me a physiological matter or biological spell book in the library?"

"Absolutely, Twi," the little dragon replied, and was off like a flash to the royal library.

As Twilight was waiting she took the opportunity to glance over the graphs. _What could possibly cause such a mass sterilization of the Pegasus stallions? _She pondered as she meandered around the room. The graphs indicated that the first major population drop was about five years ago and in the years to follow it dropped exponentially.

Twilight saw a light gray pony with a double helix cutie mark and made her way over to him. "Excuse me, sir," Twilight said politely as she approached the pony. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm helping the Princess with the crisis in Cloudsdale. I was wondering if you know how this happened?"

"Hello Twilight, my name is Gnosis," the gray pony introduced himself. "I'm not entirely sure what would have caused this. I've been working tirelessly to try to find out, but no success so far."

"Okay, well, please keep me informed if and when you find out," Twilight said, a bit disappointed.

"Absolutely," Gnosis replied as he turned back to his work.

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but notice how tired Gnosis and all the other ponies looked. They must have been working very hard for a very long time. The little purple unicorn knew she would probably fit in with the group of listless ponies soon.

Spike returned very quickly after he was sent on his task. Twilight Sparkle rejoined the princess at her side when she saw the baby dragon enter the room. He had a rather large stack of books teetering in his claws. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, _Twilight counted.

"These are all the books on physiological matter and biology," Spike announced, sounding a bit winded.

"That's great, Spike! I'm sure I'll be able to find something," Twilight said tenaciously.

"Shall we begin?" The princess questioned.

"Yes, the quicker we find a spell, the quicker we can save the Pegasus ponies of Cloudsdale."

The elegant princess motioned at a large mahogany desk. Twilight and Princess Celestia approached the table as Spike placed the books in the center. Both student and teacher chose a book and began reading. The first book that Twilight read yielded nothing for the current situation that they were presented with, but she was beginning to learn a lot more about biology and physiology.

"Any luck yet, Princess?" Twilight queried.

"I'm afraid not, Twilight. We'll have to keep reading," responded the princess.

Twilight and Princess Celestia continued to flip through book after book. The sun that shone like an eternal ball of fire began its descent through the heavens. Soon a bright waning moon shone in the sun's place. Night had fallen upon the ponies and still there was no success. When Twilight finished off her second book, she looked up and took a quick survey of her surroundings. She hadn't noticed that most of the other ponies had gone home, including Gnosis. Someone -presumably Spike- had lit a few lanterns to provide them with reading light.

Twilight and the princess were both starting their third books; this was not promising. They had already gone through four books between them and turned up nothing. Twilight yawned loudly as she turned a page in the most recent book she picked up. She could hear the princess yawn beside her and knew they both needed some sleep... well, maybe after this chapter.

Twilight had started reading a chapter on reproduction in avian equines. Her heart sped up a bit as she read further through the chapter. It began with detailed diagrams of both male and female reproductive organs and information on when breeding season was, fertility rates, etc. After a bit of background information on avian equines, the spell book introduced a number of fertility spells for Pegasus ponies. Twilight glanced through all the spells quickly before she stopped on one that looked like it might work.

"Princess Celestia, I think I might have found a spell!" Twilight called to the sleepy royal pony.

Princess Celestia went over to where Twilight was reading and glanced over the spell for herself. She also thought that it could work. If it was successful, the spell would do exactly what Twilight had suggested by taking the reproductive DNA from two mares to make a foal.

"This is wonderful, Twilight Sparkle," the princess praised. "Lets get some sleep and in the morning we'll figure out how to precede from here."

"Good idea," Twilight responded with a yawn. "Hey Spike," Twilight began, then noticed that the baby dragon had fallen asleep slumped against the desk. The purple unicorn went over and lifted Spike onto her back, and with that the ponies went off to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

The sunlight inched across the hardwood floor as it rose ever higher in the sky. A ray of sunshine played on Twilight Sparkle's cheek as the globe of light ascended through the sky. The little purple unicorn began to stir as she felt the light dance across her face. Twilight stretched and got up out of bed. She contemplated waking Spike from his peaceful slumber, then decided mercifully to let him sleep a bit longer.

The little unicorn took the winding path through the castle to the meeting room where they were yesterday. It was quite early in the morning, but Princess Celestia was wide awake and flipping through the pages of a book when Twilight entered the meeting room.

"Good morning Princess Celestia," Twilight greeted.

"Good morning Twilight Sparkle," the princess returned. "Shall we look over that spell you found last night?"

"Yes, great idea," Twilight said as she moved to stand next to the princess.

Despite how tired she was when she went to bed, Twilight didn't get a whole lot of sleep. Her mind was too preoccupied by the situation that the princess had presented her and with the possible remedy. The whole fate of the Pegasus population depended on her being able to find an alternative to traditional breeding.

She tried unsuccessfully to stifle a yawn as she read over the spell. "Sorry Princess Celestia, I didn't sleep very well last night."

"Quite alright, dear. I didn't get a great deal of sleep myself, so I can sympathize," the princess chuckled and returned to reviewing the spell. She stopped reading and turned to the young unicorn. "Twilight, I would like for you to find two Pegasus mares that would be willing to volunteer to be the first alternate breeding pair and bring them back here."

"Will do! Just let me gather up my stuff and wake Spike, then I'll be on my way," Twilight uttered as she hurried back to her room. Even in a serious situation like this, Princess Celestia was reminded of why she was so fond of the ambitious little unicorn; she was so keen and was always eager to help in any way that she could.

Just like Twilight had said, as soon as all of her things were packed in her saddlebag and Spike was fully roused, she was on her way back to Ponyville. The same two Pegasi that brought her to the castle the day before were the ones now returning her.

From the sky she could see all the ponies of Ponyville beginning their daily routines. They flew past the Pegasus ponies of Cloudsdale clearing the sky and they flew over Sweet Apple Acres, watching the ponies tend to the apples. She saw Granny Smith and Big Macintosh, but Applejack was nowhere to be found. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen Rainbow Dash clearing the sky with the other Pegasus ponies either. She glanced over the ground below her in search of any of her friends, but none were to be found.

As they neared Twilight's home in Ponyville she understood why she didn't see any of her friends; they were all waiting for her at her at the library! When they came closer to the ground after beginning their descent, Twilight noticed that her friends looked quite nervous. _As well they would be_, thought Twilight as they neared terra firma, _I left in such a rush and didn't explain anything to them! _All at once when Twilight landed, her friends swarmed towards her, gushing and fretting over the little purple unicorn.

"We were so worried about you, darling!" Rarity said, the first to be heard over the commotion of anxious ponies.

"What in tarnation happened?" asked a flustered Applejack.

"Yeah, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash piped up. "All you told me was that there was a crisis and then you left!" The colorful Pegasus sounded vexed, but there were undertones of concern in her voice.

"I'm so sorry girls. Princess Celestia needed me right away, so I didn't have time to stay and explain," Twilight apologized after her friends quieted down.

"That's alright, sugar cube," soothed Applejack. "Now, why don't you tell us what happened?"

"Okay, well, I got a letter from Princess Celestia saying that there was a crisis and she needed my help. She sent to Pegasus ponies to take me to Canterlot to see her. She told me that all the male Pegasus ponies of Cloudsdale are sterile and the population of Pegasus ponies is in danger if we don't find a way to breed the Pegasus ponies without the males," Twilight explained.

"Oh, that's awful!" Came Fluttershy's tiny voice.

"Oh no!" Cried Pinkie Pie. "What are we gonna do!" She asked enthusiastically, bouncing up and down.

"The princess and I spent almost all of night going through spell books trying to find the right spell for this problem," Twilight began. "We found one that combines the reproductive DNA from two Pegasus mares to make a Pegasus foal. Princess Celestia sent me back to Ponyville to find two Pegasus mares who would be willing to be the first two mares in all of Equestria to reproduce without a stallion."

"I'll do it!" Shouted Rainbow Dash. "How cool would that be? I would be totally ground breaking and famous! Everypony would know that I was the pony that saved the Pegasi of Cloudsdale," she puffed out her chest and spread her wings wide in a show of pride. Despite the arrogance in her tone, Twilight knew that Rainbow Dash really wanted to help for the right reasons, not just to be famous.

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Twilight hugged her friend.

"Heh, yeah no problem!" The rainbow-maned pony smiled at the unicorn. "Always happy to help, especially since it's the fate of my species."

Twilight Sparkled smiled back at her, then turned to the much quieter Pegasus in the group. "Fluttershy would you like to be the other Pegasus mare to help re-build the Pegasus population?"

"Um... I'll have to think about that Twilight," the pretty little Pegasus blushed and hid behind her long mane. "I would really like to help, but I don't really want all that attention. And besides, I'm not a great flyer, so... you know, I don't want to pass that trait on."

"But Fluttershy darling, you have so many wonderful characteristics! I bet you would make a great mom," Rarity cooed.

Fluttershy blushed a deeper shade of crimson. "Thanks Rarity."

"Well, how about you give it some time and get back to me as soon as you make a decision. I don't want you to do this unless you really want to, okay?" Twilight spoke softly to the gentle Pegasus who nodded in return.

Fluttershy quietly walked away, back to her peaceful home with all of her animal friends. She glanced behind her as she went and saw all the ponies still in a heap of commotion around Twilight Sparkle. She didn't want to admit to herself how much she wanted to help. But mostly she wanted to do it because the other pony that had agreed to this was Rainbow Dash.


	4. Chapter 4

The pretty, fawn-like Pegasus found Angel waiting for her when she got home. There was an inquisitive look plastered on his face when he noticed that his friend was a bit off. She had her head bowed, but her gaze was fixed on the sky. She looked very pensive and distracted. So distracted, in fact, that she nearly walked right past Angel without even a glance. The little ball of soft white fluff made an angry rabbit sound that got her attention.

"Oh, Angel, I'm sorry I didn't see you there," Fluttershy apologized quietly. "I'm so distracted, I'm sorry Angel bunny," she cooed to him.

Angel crossed his arms and stared her down. The shy Pegasus pony flinched and looked away. The sometimes difficult little bunny cocked his head and then hopped a little closer to her. He knew she would tell him eventually -she always did- it just might take a bit of prodding. Fluttershy glanced back at Angel to see if he was still looking; sure enough, he was. She looked away quickly and chewed subconsciously on her lower lip. The little bunny just kept looking at her and waiting for her to come around. It didn't take very long before the little yellow Pegasus began to speak.

"Oh Angel, can I tell you something?" Fluttershy asked, nearly bursting at the seams.

He nodded rapidly and motioned inside.

"That's a great idea, Angel. Let's go in and I'll make us some tea." Fluttershy began walking towards the door, closely followed by her little bunny friend. She opened the door to let Angel in, but before she preceded to walk in she stole one last glance at the sky, hoping that by chance a certain Pegasus would fly by...

The whistle of the tea kettle sounded and Fluttershy went to make herself and Angel a cup of soothing peppermint tea. She walked back to her living room, carefully balancing a platter with the tea cups on it. She passed Angel his tiny bunny cup of tea, took her larger cup, and began speaking.

"Oh Angel, I don't know how this happened..." She started slowly, trying to hide behind her long pink mane. "I... I really like Rainbow Dash, and I always have," she paused to take a sip of tea. "She's just so cool and pretty and talented and brave and pretty and..." Fluttershy stopped amidst her infatuated daze to see Angel with his arms crossed, tapping his foot impatiently. "Oh, right, sorry. Um... anyways, I never made a move because I'm so shy and I don't want to ruin our friendship. I don't think she'd like me that much anyways..." Fluttershy's voice got quieter and quieter as she finished her sentence.

Angel put his little bunny paws on his hips and shook his head. How could he make her see that she was so beautiful and talented and _of course _Rainbow Dash would like her! He couldn't help but wonder where this came from. Of course he knew that she had feelings for the blue Pegasus -he knew her better than anyone- but what prompted her to spill it all out? He quietly encouraged her to continue.

"Well, today Twilight Sparkle came back from Canterlot..." Fluttershy explained in great detail to Angel everything that Twilight had explained to her. "...And then Rainbow Dash volunteered to be one of the mares! Oh, Angel I so wanted to say yes just so that I could do something like that with her..." as Fluttershy spoke those words her eyes glazed over and her pupils dilated at the thought of the blue Pegasus. The little white bunny snapped his fingers in front of Fluttershy's nose to bring her back to reality. "Oh, sorry, I guess I just got lost thinking about Rainbow Dash. Anyways, I want to think about it for a bit. I mean, being a mother is a huge responsibility. I... I think I would really like to be a mother. Have something of my own to nurture, love, and teach. What do you think Angel?"

The little bunny vehemently nodded his head, he thought that this was a great idea. With her innate sense of care and nurturing, she would make a natural mother.

"Oh.. I don't know, I-I'll have to think about it a bit more Angel," Fluttershy answered and sipped some more of her tea.

The remainder of Fluttershy's evening was spent weighing the pros and cons of participating in Twilight's experiment. On one hoof she would love to be a mother. But on the other hoof she wondered if she would end up being hurt by Rainbow Dash, the only pony she has ever loved. But then again, she was feeling a strong maternal instinct to procreate and being a... filly fooler... *_GASP_*, this was her only option besides adopting.

Fluttershy had never told anypony about her preference. Mostly because nopony ever asked; everypony just assumed that she was too shy and quiet to be go after the rough stallions. But no pony would have guessed that it was the roughest, toughest _mare _who stole her heart.

* * *

><p>After Twilight finally calmed her friends down, they all returned to their respective dwellings or places of work. Rainbow Dash, more excited than anypony, rapidly flew through the air doing flips and twirls and going as fast as she could. She was so exhilarated at the prospect of her becoming famous and well-respected and that it might even land her a position on the Wonderbolts' team!<p>

Eventually her energy ran out and she found a nice comfortable cloud to fall asleep on. Her mind was filled with fantasies about everypony knowing her by name and respecting her for her awesome abilities. _This is gonna be great! _She thought as she drifted off into dreamland.

_Rainbow Dash is flying through the sky. Faster, faster, higher, higher. Her concentration is paramount if she wants to make this work, if she's going to impress the Wonderbolts. She climbs as high as she can in the sky then turns and dives for the ground._

"_MOMMY!" someone calls and breaks her concentration._

_Rainbow Dash crashes hard into a cloud pillar, compromising the structure it was holding up. The extremely vexed Pegasus gets up and shakes her head. She looks around for the source of the sound. She sees a Pegasus foal with a huge mouth screaming for her. _

"_Ugh!" She cries and walks over to it._

"_I'M HUNGRY FEED ME MOMMY! TEACH ME HOW TO FLY! I WANNA BE ABLE TO FLY! CAN YOU TEACH ME NOW!" The annoying little creature asks._

_Rainbow Dash glances around and sees the Wonderbolts all nearly peeing themselves laughing. The laughter gets louder and louder and louder until she thinks her ears will explode._

"Ahh!" Rainbow Dash woke with a start. She is breathing hard and covered in sweat. "Ohhh, maybe this isn't such a great idea after all," she frowned slightly, worry palpable in her voice. "Maybe I should talk to Twilight in the morning..."

* * *

><p>The morning sun brought new confidence to Fluttershy. When she awoke, the fiery star was mere inches above the horizon. It was a glorious sight to see Celestia's sun rise ever higher in the early morning sky. She felt clear on her decision. She would stand behind the choice that she made no matter what.<p>

After tending to her animal friends, Fluttershy left to find Twilight Sparkle and tell her what she had decided. Fluttershy was in a great mood and she happily trotted through Ponyville. As she neared Twilight's home, she noticed Rainbow Dash was already there and speaking with the little purple unicorn.

"Good morning girls," Fluttershy greeted in a soft voice.

"Oh," Twilight peered around Rainbow Dash who was standing in front of Fluttershy. "Good morning Fluttershy."

"Hey Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said distractedly.

"Anyways Twilight, I guess I came here to tell you that I just can't do it anymore!" Rainbow Dash said briskly.

"What? I thought you were so excited about being famous and all that," queried Twilight.

"Well, um, yeah I was, but I uh, changed my mind I guess," the rainbow-maned Pegasus replied, trying to hide the guilt and fear in her voice.

All was silent for a moment until Fluttershy spoke. "Oh dear, I just came to tell Twilight Sparkle that I have been thinking and I would be willing to do it... Actually I would really like-"

Rainbow Dash cut her off by saying, "Well, you won't have to worry about it anymore 'cause I'm not doing it!" and with that she flew away.

Both Fluttershy and Twilight Sparkle were stupefied by her sudden change in heart. Twilight could see that Fluttershy was really disappointed by Rainbow Dash's decision.

"Maybe just give her some time or I'll find another Pegasus mare to do it in her place," Twilight tried to comfort the sad yellow Pegasus.

"Oh, um... that's okay Twilight. Maybe just forget about me too," Fluttershy said in a melancholic tone and flew away.

Poor Twilight was left standing in front of her home. She had no idea what to do; she didn't know any other Pegasus ponies and it seemed like Fluttershy really wanted to help out. _Give it some time, _she thought, then scolded herself, _we don't have that much time, idiot!_

Fluttershy flew tentatively higher in the sky in search of Rainbow Dash. She flew past Cloudsdale and down to where Rainbow Dash's low-hanging cloud home was located. It was immediately recognizable by its massive cloud pillars and rainbow waterfalls. Fluttershy landed on the cloud floor and preceded to the door.

She knocked quietly. "Um... Rainbow Dash?" She knocked again. "...Rainbow Dash?" She called a little louder.

Eventually, the brash Pegasus answered the door. "What?" Her tone was heated, but cooled down almost immediately when she saw who it was. "Oh, hi Fluttershy, what's up?"

"I, um... just wanted to ask you if you were okay. You had such a change of heart from yesterday about this whole reproduction thing. I-I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Fluttershy muttered.

"Yeah, of course I'm okay! I just, you know, changed my mind," Rainbow Dash tried to brush her off.

"Oh, okay..." Fluttershy sighed slightly and turned around to leave.

"Wait," Rainbow Dash called. "Fluttershy are you okay?"

Fluttershy turned and slowly walked back. "No, not really. But I will be, don't worry about it," she tried her best to fake a believable smile.

"Do you really want to do this?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, I've always wanted to be a mother and I saw this as my only opportunity because-" Fluttershy almost admitted to her crush that she was a filly fooler.

"Because...?" Rainbow Dash questioned.

"Oh, um... no reason, just I guess I don't see myself with a stallion," the little yellow Pegasus chuckled nervously as she tried to cover up her faux pas.

"Oh, yeah. I guess you're right. I-I just don't think I'm ready to take on that kind of responsibility. I mean, with trying to get in with the Wonderbolts and all that, I don't think I'd have time," the edgy blue Pegasus explained.

"That's okay, I understand," Fluttershy sighed and looked defeated. "I'll just be going then..."

"Wait," Rainbow Dash called again. "Do you think I could just, like, let you use my DNA or something and then you'd have a baby and I wouldn't have to deal with it?"

Rainbow Dash's comment stung Fluttershy quite a bit; she loved her and really wanted her to be a part of her life and whatever life they created. But she figured it would be as close as she got to Rainbow Dash going along with the whole thing. Twilight never said that both mares had to parent the foal. _How hard could it be to parent on your own... right?_ Thought Fluttershy.

"Okay Rainbow Dash," was all Fluttershy said. Rainbow Dash visibly relaxed after smoothing the issue over with her friend.

Together the two Pegasus ponies flew down to Twilight's home to tell her their agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Hey there! Thanks so much for all the great feedback and encouragement! I really appreciate it. I'm hoping to write more soon :))

* * *

><p>Twilight was reading over the Pegasus reproduction spell when something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked out the window to see two Pegasus ponies flying down to her house. As they neared, she could make out the details of her two winged friends Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. The little purple pony left her spell book on her desk and trotted outside to greet her friends.<p>

"Hey girls, how's it going?" Twilight asked.

"Pretty good," answered Rainbow Dash.

"Sooo, what brings you here?" Twilight inquired.

"Um... Well, we've come to a conclusion about the whole reproductive thing..." Fluttershy muttered.

"That's great!" exclaimed Twilight. "...Maybe? What did you decide?"

"Well, Rainbow Dash is going to help out by giving me her DNA," Fluttershy explained. "I-if you're still okay with that..." her last comment was directed to Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, for sure. As long as I don't have to do any gushy baby stuff," Rainbow Dash said off the cuff.

Twilight looked uncertain. "Well, you know Rainbow Dash, it's hard work to raise a foal, Fluttershy can't do it all by herself."

"Oh no, it's okay, Twilight. I don't mind," Fluttershy peeped.

Twilight was still dissatisfied with the situation, but said, "Alright, I guess... I'll get Spike to send a scroll to the princess to let her know that we have two Pegasus mares."

Spike sent off a scroll to the princess and it wasn't long before they got one back from the royal mare. Spike cleared his throat and read Princess Celestia's letter aloud:

"_Dear Twilight Sparkle, my star pupil,_

_I am pleased to hear from you so soon. I would like for you to bring the two mares to my castle in Canterlot so I may have the pleasure to meet them. I will send transportation for you at once._

_Regards,_

_Princess Celestia"_

"Okay girls, you heard Spike; pack your saddle bags we're going to Canterlot," Twilight said.

"Um... I can't really stay for long I don't think. I have to tend to my little animal friends," Fluttershy uttered.

"Don't worry, I don't think we'll be very long," assured Twilight Sparkle. "We'll probably stay overnight, though. Just because it's already almost noon and by the time we get there and perform the spell it's going to be quite late."

"That should be fine then," smiled Fluttershy. "I'll go home and pack a saddle bag."

"Yeah, me too. Be back in a flash!" called Rainbow Dash as she sped off into the sky.

* * *

><p>By the time Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy returned, there were four Pegasi and chariot waiting for them. Fluttershy stood in silent awe at the two rippling Pegasi that pulled the golden chariot. Their snow-white coats gleamed in the late morning sun. Rainbow Dash was slightly less in awe, having compared them in her mind to the Wonderbolts. Sure, these Pegasi were fit and well muscled and had a pretty sweet job, BUT the Wonderbolts were just amazing!<p>

The three ponies and Spike carefully stepped into the golden chariot. They wouldn't have fitin the chariot that Twilight had taken on her first trip to Canterlot with Spike, but the princess had thought that through and sent a much larger chariot for all four of them. Although it was larger than the last, this chariot with two Pegasus ponies, a unicorn, a baby dragon, and all of their stuff was pretty cozy. Fluttershy blush softly as she felt Rainbow Dash's body pressed comfortably against her own. The team of Pegasi took off and they were on their way to Canterlot.

As had been the case before, when the Pegasi team landed at the castle, Princess Celestia was there to greet them. She looked considerably less stressed than the last time Twilight had seen her.

"Twilight Sparkle, my most loyal pupil, it's great to see you again," the princess greeted.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Princess," Twilight smiled at her role model.

"And it's lovely to see your friends again. I very pleased to see that it is Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy who will be helping save the Pegasi of Cloudsdale."

"It's nice to see you again, Princess Celestia," Fluttershy bashfully greeted.

The princess smiled at the shy Pegasus mare. "Let us go in and you can all get settled before we perform the spell."

Princess Celestia led the three ponies to their rooms. Twilight's room was first, it was a deep tyrian color with constellation painted on the midnight blue ceiling. There was a large bookshelf that covered the entire wall that faced her bed. A small desk was placed in the corner for her to read and study. Princess Celestia didn't forget Spike; there was a small bed for the little dragon close to Twilight's bed. The princess had designed this room especially for the little unicorn after she had studied under Princess Celestia for a year. She wanted something special for her star pupil that reflected her personality and preferences.

"I'll be in the spell room when you are all ready," Princess Celestia told Twilight as she left her student in her room.

Fluttershy's room was next. This room was not tailored to her the way that Twilight's was, but it was very nice nonetheless. It was a faded juniper color, very simple design: a bed in one corner, a small desk, and a modest bookshelf. Fluttershy walked in and placed her saddle bag on the sage colored bed sheets that covered a double bed. She walked to the window and found that she had a great view of the royal garden.

Rainbow Dash's room was directly across from Fluttershy's. The rainbow-maned Pegasus was greeted by periwinkle colored walls, a double bed with sheets to match the color scheme of the room, a small bookshelf, and a desk, similar to Fluttershy's room. It had no windows, but was comfortable and welcoming enough.

After all the Pegasus ponies got settled they walked to Twilight's room. "So, what's the game plan, Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, if you two are ready, then we'll go find the princess and we'll begin the spell," Twilight answered.

"Great!" Fluttershy said quietly, but enthusiastically. "I'm really excited, but um... kind of nervous too."

Twilight smiled encouragingly, "You'll be great!"

"Thanks Twilight," said Fluttershy.

The three friends walked through the castle to a large room. The room had high ceilings and was virtually bare, save the stacks of books that were piled around the walls. This was the perfect place to perform demanding spells, as there was nothing in the room that could be destroyed or misplaced if the princess's magic carried far.

"Now," began Princess Celestia. "Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, I want you two to stand fairly close together in the center of the room." The two Pegasus ponies moved where the princess instructed. "Perfect. And Twilight, I want you right next to me. It's going to take both of us concentrating very hard to make this work. Are you ready, Twilight?" she asked her young pupil.

"Yes Princess," Twilight answered.

"Okay, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy are you both ready?" the princess called to the two Pegasus ponies.

"Yes," Fluttershy called back quietly.

"As I'll ever be," mutter Rainbow Dash under her breath. She saw a half-hidden look of hurt growing on Fluttershy's face. _Shit! She wasn't meant to hear that. _"Yes!" She called out louder then gave Fluttershy an apologetic smile.

Princess Celestia and Twilight's horns began to glow. They both closed their eyes in concentration. Suddenly, the two Pegasus mares felt a warm glow surround them and they were lifted into the air by the unicorns' magic. A soft light descended from somewhere above and grew stronger as it surrounded the blue and yellow Pegasi. An additional two beams of light seemed to come out of nowhere; one strand surrounded Rainbow Dash and the other entwined Fluttershy with its welcoming warmth.

Twilight clenched her jaw and closed her eyes tight, her energy was beginning to falter. Princess Celestia stood next to her, not struggling quite so much, but still feeling the strain of the demanding spell. All at once, pink light flashed through the room and nearly knocked the two unicorns off their hooves. The room grew quiet and still after that. The only sound to be heard was the panting of the exhausted unicorns.

"D-did it work?" Fluttershy questioned in a hushed tone.

"I believe it did," answered the princess once she caught her breath. "Come, lets get you all back to your rooms so you can rest up."

* * *

><p>When Rainbow Dash returned to her room, she didn't feel as though she were all that tired. But as soon as she sunk into the soft mattress she was fast asleep. Once again, her sleeping mind was wracked with dreams...<p>

_Rainbow Dash is standing outside of Fluttershy's house. Why? She is not quite sure. She feels nervous; her heart is pounding out of her chest, her face is flushed, and she is shaking ever so slightly. _

_By the magic of dreams, she is suddenly inside Fluttershy's house. In Fluttershy's room to be more specific. A scent envelops her nostrils and transports her to a field of gently blowing wild flowers. She sees Fluttershy in the distance._

"_Fluttershy!" She calls to the beautiful Pegasus._

_She is galloping towards her. Upon reaching the shy Pegasus, she says, "Fluttershy, I love-" _

* * *

><p>"Ahh!" Rainbow Dash wakes with a start, breathing heavy. "Ughh, just another stupid dream," she said to herself.<p>

Moments later the rainbow-maned Pegasus heard a light knock on her door. She went to the door, opening it to find Fluttershy standing out in the hall.

"Hi Rainbow Dash. I-I just heard you scream and I wanted to make sure you were okay," said Fluttershy sweetly.

"Oh, uh yeah, I'm fine," Rainbow Dash was taken off guard seeing the mare in her dreams now standing in front of her. "Just a bad dream."

"Oh, okay. Well, I hope you sleep well the rest of the night," Flutteshy uttered as the turned to go back to her room.

"Night? It was only the afternoon when we came up here," Rainbow Dash was a little perplexed.

"Yes, well, it seems we've all been sleeping for quite some time. It is nearly midnight now," Fluttershy informed her friend.

"Oh! Well, sorry if I woke you," Rainbow Dash apologized.

"That's okay, I wasn't really having the best sleep either," responded Fluttershy.

"I'm glad I didn't wake you then," Rainbow Dash chuckled. "Goodnight Fluttershy."

"Goodnight Rainbow Dash."

As Fluttershy walked back across the hall to her room she felt a knot in her stomach forming. She knew it was unreasonable, but she wished that Rainbow Dash had invited her into the tough pony's bed and held her all night long. Fluttershy closed the door and climbed back into bed. _Why would she do that? She's your friend and she already gave you a great gift. Stop being so selfish Fluttershy, _she chastised herself. _I hope the morning finds me in a better mood..._


	6. Chapter 6

Three months had gone by since Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia magically impregnated Fluttershy with Rainbow Dash's help. Much to Fluttershy's dismay, nothing seemed to have changed in terms of her relationship with the feisty blue Pegasus. In fact, the rainbow-maned pony seemed more distant than ever. The shy Pegasus mare used to at least see her on a regular basis, now their interactions were entirely sporadic.

"I guess I'll just have to learn to let it go," Fluttershy moped.

Angel bunny, who was never all that far from Fluttershy, face-palmed at his friend's comment. He gesticulated wildly trying to get her attention.

"Oh, Angel, what is it?" The doe-like mare asked.

Angel made a heart shape with his little paws, "Love," said Fluttershy. Then he pointed at Fluttershy, "Me?" he nodded his little bunny head very quickly. "What about me?" She asked. The frustrated bunny face-palmed again. He pointed vehemently at Fluttershy then made a big heart gesture, then flapped his arms like wings. "I love... flying? No I don't Angel, you know that!" The little bunny shook his head.

Angel disappeared out of the room only to return with a photo clasped between his tiny paws. It was one of Fluttershy and all of her friends. Angel pointed to Rainbow Dash, made another heart shape, then pointed at Fluttershy.

"Of course I love her Angel! We had this discussion over three months ago, why do you need to bring it up again?" Fluttershy was a little bit frustrated with her companion. "You don't need to rub it in my face!"

Angel tossed the picture on the couch and stormed outside. What he was _trying _to tell her was that Rainbow Dash was in love with her too. Rainbow Dash didn't know it yet, or maybe just didn't want to admit it, but despite being kind of a twat, Angel was very perceptive. He could tell just by the way that Rainbow Dash looked at her that the tough Pegasus had a soft spot for their shy friend. He figured that the rainbow-maned Pegasus was starting to figure it out for herself and she was probably scared, hence why she wasn't around much. He also figured that Fluttershy's increased irritability was due to some crazy pregnancy hormones that he didn't want to deal with right now.

* * *

><p>Three months had gone by since Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia magically impregnated Fluttershy with Rainbow Dash's help. And Rainbow Dash was losing her mind. All these weird feelings involving Fluttershy were welling up inside of her. They were happy feelings; feelings she'd never felt before about anypony. It was terrifying. All she could think about as soon as she opened her eyes to see the new day was her soft creamy-colored coat, velvety smooth muzzle, silk mane, sweet eyes...<p>

"Gahh! I'm no filly-fooler!" She screamed to herself. "No way, no how!" Rainbow Dash stubbornly crossed her arms. "Then why do I feel like this?" She said dejectedly.

Rainbow Dash need to talk to somepony, but who? She wasn't very comfortable talking about feelings and she didn't really know anypony who was a filly-fooler, not openly at least. She had her suspicions about a few ponies, but she wasn't close with any of them. And she was a bit scared that if she told her friends they would shun her, even though that was totally improbable. _Maybe I'll talk to Twilight Sparkle, I mean, she's the one that helped us in the first place! She won't care... I hope._

The flight to Twilight Sparkle's home took nearly twice as long as it usually did for Rainbow Dash; she flew slowly, very slowly, trying to lengthen the trip. She lowered to the ground and trotted the last 100 yards to her friend's place. Then she slowed even more to a walk, dragging out how long it would be before she had to talk to Twilight. Finally, the reluctant Pegasus made it to the large oak door. She knock, but nopony answered. She waited, then knocked again, still no answer.

"Oh well, that's just too bad," Rainbow Dash said sarcastically as she turned to walk away. "Ahh!" When Rainbow Dash turned, Twilight was right there. "Oh, Twilight, you sca-surprised me! He-he."

"Sorry, Dash, I'm just getting home from town; I had to pick up some groceries. So, what brings you here?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, uh... actually I kinda want to talk to you about something," there was a nervous tone to the usually cocky Pegasus's voice.

"Of course! Come right in," invited Twilight.

"Thanks," Rainbow Dash said as she followed Twilight Sparkle into the library.

Once in the library, Twilight quickly put the groceries away with Spike's help. After that, all of her attention was on her clearly distraught friend. Twilight waited quietly for Rainbow Dash to start speaking. Since that was the reason why she was here, Twilight figured she would need no prodding. She was wrong. Ten minutes passed in silence and every moment that ticked slowly by seemed to wind Rainbow Dash up tighter and tighter.

Finally, Twilight gave in and said, "I know you're not okay, Rainbow Dash, tell me what's wrong."

Rainbow Dash sighed, visibly relaxing having somepony break the silent tension. "I-I... have you ever, you know, _liked _somepony?"

Twilight blushed slightly, remembering the deep crush she had for her mentor and maybe still clings to a bit... But this wasn't about her, it was about her friend. "Ooh! I see! Who's the lucky filly?" She asked slyly.

"No, not a- hey! How did you know it was a filly?" Rainbow Dash was flabbergasted.

Twilight chuckled a bit, "I thought it was pretty obvious. I guess there's not really a lot of filly-foolers around here so ponyfolk don't know what they're like, but back in Canterlot there were quite a few filly-foolers and colt-cuddlers. I guess I'm just good at spotting them now."

Mouth agape, it took Rainbow Dash some time to recover from the revelation that somepony knew. And that pony didn't seem to care. "So, it was like normal in Canterlot?" Asked the blue Pegasus.

"I don't know if I'd say normal, but there were an awful lot of them. Most ponies didn't care and they just lived their own lives. Some ponies did care, but most kept it to themselves." Twilight didn't add that most ponies kept it to themselves because their own Princess Celestia was rumored to be a filly-fooler. "But, you still didn't answer my question," Twilight said in a sing-song voice.

Pressing her eyes tightly shut, Rainbow Dash spilled the name quickly, "IloveFluttershy." Just like ripping off a band-aid.

"That's wonderful!" Twilight exclaimed. "I was a little worried when you said that you would help out with the Pegasus breeding experiment and then decided you weren't going to help her raise it, but now that you're feelings are out there you can all be one big happy family and life will be great!" Twilight's exuberant sentence ran together so much that Rainbow Dash almost didn't understand what she said, but she got the jist of it.

"I dunno Twilight. I mean, like, you're the only pony I've told! And I don't think I'd be a very good mother. And what if she doesn't like me back? And what if I'm shunned forever from Cloudsdale and sent to live in the Everfree Forest 'cause I'm a filly-fooler? And then the Wonderbolts will never let me on their team! And-"

"Slow down there Rainbow," Twilight stopped her in the middle of her brewing panic attack. "First of all, you could be a great mother! Every pony is a little nervous before their foal actually comes. But once she or he is here everything will be just perfect. Second of all, are you serious? Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy has been in love for you ever since you defended her honor at the Pegasus Race," Twilight began soothing all of Dash's fears.

"Wait, really?" The rainbow-maned Pegasus interrupted her friend. "She really likes me?"

"Of course she does! You should hear the way she talks about you when you aren't around. And the way she looks at you when she thinks you aren't looking," Twilight confirmed.

"Huh, I-I guess I never really paid that much attention..." Rainbow Dash was lost in thought for a moment.

Twilight brought her Pegasus friend back to reality as she continued to rationalized all of her fears away, "Thirdly, nopony is going to send you to the Everfree Forest for being a filly-fooler. Princess Celestia would have nothing of it. You are there greatest flier and most respected pony to come out of Cloudsdale, nopony is going to shun you."

"And the Wonderbolts?" Questioned Rainbow Dash.

"The Wonderbolts take ponies based on _talent _not sexuality. You have enough talent in one wing to make it on to the Wonderbolts!"

"Really? You think so Twilight?" Asked Rainbow Dash excitedly.

"Absolutely!" Answered Twilight. "You are the best flier I know."

"Thanks Twilight, I really appreciate this," Rainbow Dash expressed her gratitude to the little purple unicorn.

"Any time," smiled Twilight Sparkle. "Oh! Wait, Rainbow Dash!" Twilight called as her Pegasus friend began to leave, but Rainbow Dash was lost in her own world and heard nothing of what Twilight was trying to tell her.

Rainbow Dash left Twilight's home, the little purple unicorn having given her much to think about. She walked slowly through Ponyville lost in thought. She continued to walk, head figuratively in the clouds when she ran into something that prevented her from walking forward. No, not something, some_pony_. Fluttershy to be exact.

"Oh my gosh!" cried Rainbow Dash. "I am so sorry Fluttershy!"

"Oh, it's okay Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy shyly replied. "I'm really glad I found you," Fluttershy added, causing Rainbow Dash's heart to skip a beat.

"Why's that?" The blue Pegasus tried to remain as nonchalant as possible.

"Well, I'm scheduled for an ultrasound next week and I would love it if you could come with me," Fluttershy said meekly, a little worried that her friend would say no.

"Yeah sure," said the excited pony, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.

"Great!" Exclaimed Fluttershy. "I'm surprised Twilight didn't tell you about this, she told me a few days ago."

"Huh? I just saw her today! Oh well, maybe she forgot," Rainbow Dash said. _Or maybe I was too lost in my own world to pay attention to what she was saying. _

"Yeah, that must be it," Fluttershy said quietly. "Well, Twilight arranged all of the transportation, so just go to her house next Monday... If that's okay with you."

"Yeah! I'll see you there," smiled Rainbow Dash.

* * *

><p>!NEXT MONDAY!<p>

The two Pegasus ponies assembled bright and early at Twilight Sparkle's home. Rainbow Dash had even gotten up early -for once- to clear the sky. The sun shone down and Rainbow Dash couldn't help but notice that it made Fluttershy seem even more radiant than rainbow maned Pegasus sighed, then looked around quickly hoping that no one caught her gapping.

"Alright girls," greeted Twilight as she met the two Pegasus ponies, "Princess Celestia wrote me last night to make sure everything was still on for today. She said that she would send transportation for us in the morning, and it's morning so I'm assuming they'll be here soon."

Sure enough, moments after Twilight spoke a chariot descended from the sky. It was just as large and beautiful as Fluttershy remembered and drawn by the same well-muscled Pegasus stallions. The three ponies and Spike climbed into the chariot and were taken into the sky. The relatively short trip to Canterlot seemed endless to the ponies; they were all excited about Fluttershy's first ultrasound.

They were once again greeted by Princess Celestia, happy as ever to see her faithful student and her two Pegasus friends. A warm smile graced the elegant royal's muzzle as the ponies and Spike got off the chariot to meet her.

"Hello, my dear subjects and my most faithful student," accosted the princess. "It is lovely to see you all again."

"It's great to see you too, Princess," smiled Twilight.

"Isn't this an exciting day, my little ponies?" Princess Celestia's smile broadened.

"It sure is," answered Twilight.

"Well, let us all go inside and we can get started," the princess said as she lead the unicorn, Pegasi, and baby dragon into the castle.

The four friends were lead through the long and winding hallways of the castle to the spell room where they had been the last time. A large bed was poised in the middle of the room, waiting for Fluttershy to lay down on it. The bed was welcoming and soft with pastel colored sheets.

"Fluttershy my dear, why don't you go lay down and we can begin," instructed the princess gently.

"O-okay," Fluttershy replied and tentatively walked over to the bed. She was quite nervous about this first check up. She had no way to tell if everything would be okay, or if things were happening as they typically do. She was much too shy to say anything, especially to the princess, so she just carefully climbed into the bed and laid down.

Rainbow Dash wouldn't admit it, but she was nervous too. Like Fluttershy, she had no way of telling if things were normal. She wanted desperately for everything to be okay. She would hate to have anything bad happen to Fluttershy or their unborn foal. She hung back behind Twilight and Princess Celestia, not wanting to get in the way. She was also uncharacteristically quiet, not wanting to say anything that would give her nerves away. But the mere fact that she was quiet told Twilight that something was up with her rainbow-maned friend.

Princess Celestia moved closer to the timid Pegasus laying on the bed that was placed there for her. "Fluttereshy," she began, "I'm going to begin. If you could stay still for me that would be wonderful."

"Yes, I will Princess," Fluttershy answered, then something in the far corner of the room caught her eye. "Philomena!" Fluttershy called excitedly. The fiery phoenix flew down from the upper corner of the room to land on the bed.

"It looks like your friend wanted to see you, Fluttershy," the princess chuckled. "Philomena, how in Equestria did you get out of your cage and find us here?" Philomena just cawed and snuggled close to Fluttershy.

"You may remain here Philomena, but you must stay far enough back that you don't interfere," instructed Princess Celestia. The regal phoenix complied and moved as far away as possible without actually leaving the bed.

Princess Celestia drew closer to the little yellow Pegasus. She closed her eyes and her horn glowed a soft pink color. She moved her head close enough to Fluttershy's stomach that the Pegasus could feel a gentle warmth emanating from the horn without it actually touching her. The light formed by Princess Celestia's horn slowly pooled into a spherical shape that hovered above the pregnant mare's belly. Princess Celestia stepped back, leaving the ball of light to float on its own. Everypony waited with baited breath. Nothing happened for a seemingly long time -in reality it was only a few moments- when they finally saw something. The light that the princess created allowed a view into Fluttershy's uterus.

Everypony gathered around Fluttershy who was not really loving the attention, but tolerated it because it was her friends. Not much of their foal was formed at three months, but Rainbow Dash fell immediately in love with it. She could see the faintest of heartbeats and a little head and a bone structure around the withers that would eventually turn into wings. While Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and Spike awed and cooed at Fluttershy, Princess Celestia stepped back to allow Fluttershy time with her friends. She smiled softly, admiring what a wonderful friendship they all had. Philomena even managed to sneak in a bit closer to nuzzle Fluttershy's face.

The orb of light began to fade, as did the view of Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's unborn foal. All the ponies, Spike, and Philomena backed away. They were all a little disappointed that they only had a short view of the foal.

"Congratulations my dear! Your foal looks healthy and beautiful," Princess Celestia said warmly.

"Thank you so much, Princess Celestia," Fluttershy humbly thanked the regal mare.

"You are most welcome. What do you think Rainbow Dash?" Princess Celestia asked, noting the slight change in the rainbow-maned Pegasus.

"S-she's beautiful!" She sighed. "Fluttershy and our foal!" At that comment, Fluttershy blushed heavily. Rainbow Dash walked over to where Fluttershy was still laying on the bed. "I want to be there for you and help you and just be a super cool mom!" She chuckled nervously at the saccharin jargon that spilled from her muzzle.

At that moment, Fluttershy couldn't be any happier. Euphoria swept her body and a smile graced her beautiful face. After they said their goodbyes, the ponies and Spike were on their way. Princess Celestia smiled a knowing smile after witnessing the pivotal moment in the newly blossoming relationship between Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE<strong>: Gahhh big chapter! It's been a while since I've updated anything, but here it is, the next chapter! Yay FlutterDash!


	7. Chapter 7

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Sorry! It's been a while since I've updated. I started a new job a couple of weeks ago that is 6:30am-5:30pm Monday-Friday, so I haven't had a lot of time or energy to write :(

Anyways... excuses aside, here's the next chapter!

* * *

><p>The days passed since Fluttershy's ultrasound, but the pregnant pony's head still spun at the though of what Rainbow Dash had said. <em>"S-she's beautiful! Fluttershy and our foal! I want to be there for you and help you and just be a super cool mom!"<em> Fluttershy clung to that memory. Rainbow Dash seemed sincere, but did she know what she was getting into? Once she realizes how hard it is to raise a foal will she just leave? Fluttershy tried not to think about that. Whatever happens, happens. No amount of fussing or worrying can change that. Logic was of little consolation to the distraught Pegasus.

Fluttershy was quite deep in thought when she heard a knock on the door. "I wonder who that could be?" She pondered aloud.

Walking over to the door, she cautiously opened it; the rainbow-maned object of her desire was standing on the other side. The little yellow Pegasus blushed slightly at the sight of her friend. She opened the door wider and said, "Oh, Rainbow Dash, please come in."

"Thanks Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said as she passed her friend walking into the cottage.

"So, what brings you here?" Fluttershy asked.

"I kinda wanna talk to you," answered Rainbow Dash.

"Oh?" Fluttershy's heart skipped a beat. "What about?"

"I meant what I said when we were at the princess's castle; I really do want to be here for you and our foal." Fluttershy could tell that the blue Pegasus standing before her had put a lot of thought into what she was saying. It was difficult for her to say because she wasn't all too proficient at vocalizing her emotions, but she managed.

"That's wonderful Rainbow Dash! I really appreciate it," Fluttershy smiled brightly.

An awkward silence passed between the two Pegasus mares. Then Rainbow Dash said, "Well, I uh... gottagetgoingbye!"

Fluttershy was taken off guard by the hasty retreat of her friend. She also couldn't help but think that there was something that remained unsaid between them. Rainbow Dash looked like she had a lot on her mind, but her visit was so brief that there was no way she could have unloaded even a fraction of what was on her mind.

...

Rainbow Dash flew as quickly as she could away from Fluttershy's cottage. She flew so fast that tears stung her eyes and ran down her cheeks as she hurried home. Panic coursed through her veins when she came close to spilling even more emotion out to Fluttershy. Eventually she slowed and stopped on a cloud. She could feel the residual adrenalin slowly fading, hormones returning to normal. And the blood was returning from her lower extremities and wings to a corporal equilibrium.

Panting hard on the cloud she had landed on, Rainbow Dash started to think. _Why am I such a failure? If I really do feel this way about her, I should just tell her. No more chickening out! _Rainbow Dash told herself. _I can do this... But, maybe tomorrow. Maybe tonight I just need to sleep. _So, off she flew, back to her cloud home to sleep away the embarrassing memory of her brief meeting with Fluttershy.

The rainbow pools and falls that surrounded her home shimmered brilliantly in the full moonlight. Each color was reflected in an effervescent shine that sent off a glow of variably colored light. The rainbow pools made a soft sound as the gentle night breeze skimmed over the surface. Rainbow Dash noticed none of this. She blew passed everything as fast as she could, completely lost in thought. Thinking of Fluttershy's innocence, her maternal glow, that cute little blush that crept up on her face whenever Rainbow Dash was around...

_Why can't I stop thinking about her? I've never felt this way about anypony before. I know I _like _her, but this is just so much more. _Rainbow Dash contemplated her feelings as she wandered blindly to her soft cloud bed. Flopping down to fall asleep, her mind was consumed with images of her shy Pegasus friend.

...

Fluttershy's night had gone similarly to Rainbow Dash's after her friend's speedy retreat, though much more moping was involved. She stood stunned, for nearly five minutes after Rainbow Dash took off. Her mind went through all of the possibilities of why she left: _did I say something? Did I do something? Do I look fat? Am I ugly? Did I scare her away? Did she change her mind?_ _Oh Fluttershy, why do you always have to mess things up?_

After she got over the initial shock of her friend leaving, she started to cry. At first it the salty tears ran in smooth streams down her cheeks, but the more she cried, the less smooth it got. Her face and eyes were red, her cheeks raw and pink, nose running slightly. Fluttershy felt like a mess. Through the glare of tears she saw a fluffy white dot that she could only interpret as Angel.

"Oh Angel!" She wailed. "I d-don't know whyyyy I'm... cryyying so much," she sniffed, then cried some more.

Angel crossed his little bunny arms, then uncrossed them; today, his stubborn tough-love wasn't going to be any use at all. He jumped up on the couch where Fluttershy had plunked herself and cuddled up into her beautiful pink mane. It felt different, noted the little bunny; it was thicker and softer. He also noticed that her coat was starting to gleam more. And with the heightened emotional sensitivity, Angel guessed it had something to do with hormones. He ignored the fact that he didn't really want to deal with her crazy pregnancy hormones in order to comfort his dear friend. He wiped away the streams of tears on her cheeks with his tiny bunny paws and then hugged her closer to him.

Fluttershy sniffled, "Thanks Angel bunny. I feel much better now." Fluttershy smiled weakly, but Angel could tell it was a genuine smile.

"I-I just... want her to like me," Fluttershy said bashfully.

Angel made a heart shape with his small paws and flapped his arms like wings.

"Angel, we are not going through this again! I don't love flying and we already know that I love Rainbow Dash. Why do you keep bringing it up?" Fluttershy's quivering voice turned from melancholic to vexed.

Angel vehemently shook his head. He did the flapping motion first, then the heart, then pointed to Fluttershy. He couldn't get any clearer! _RAINBOW DASH LOVES YOU! _He wanted to scream.

"Angel, you're not saying that Rainbow Dash is in love with _me _are you?" Fluttershy didn't want to look at Angel, for fear that her interpretation was wrong. But her curiosity got the best of her. Slowly, very slowly she opened her eyes. One eye, now both eyes... open. Open to see Angel nodding a relieved 'yes'. "Really? A-are you sure Angel bunny?" Once again her nodded his head. "Oh! That makes me feel so much better. I sure hope you're right." Fluttershy yawned a graceful yawn and said, "Wow, all of this emotional stress really tired me out." Moments after she spoke those words, the sleepy little mare was fast asleep on her couch in the living room. Angel bunny was still curled up in her mane, happy to fall sleep knowing that he calmed his friend.

* * *

><p>It was early then next morning. So early that it was surprising that Rainbow Dash was up and at'er. It was warm in Ponyville for only being February. They had already celebrated Winter Wrap-up for that year. The mayor decided to undergo the changing of the seasons earlier than they typically did since it had been such a brutal winter. Not that anypony was complaining about the early change in seasons. Rainbow Dash watched as the sky was lit up with Celestia's sun. The reds, yellows, oranges, purples, and pinks of the sky became more diluted the farther the sun rose. Rainbow Dash had never really taken the time to watch a sunrise.<p>

The early morning light made the rainbow pools and falls sparkle and dance in the sun's glow. Unlike last night, Rainbow Dash actually took notice of the light's effects on the rainbow pools and falls. The colors were so bright and so vivid. _It's so intense! _Thought Rainbow Dash as she stared mesmerized by the array of color. She had never really had a great appreciation for the little things in life; the sunrises, the rainbow pools, even the great cloud city where she hailed from never seemed to cause her to blink. _I'm going soft, _thinks the brash little Pegasus with a soft smile, _maybe that's not so bad if I'll be raising a little one... Wait! What is happening to me? It must be 'cause it's early out... yeah, let's go with that._

The day stretched on, but Rainbow Dash couldn't help but feel that she wanted to share the special sight that she had witnessed that morning with somepony else. Somepony named Fluttershy. _Yeah, that's what I'll do, I'll ask Fluttershy to come over and surprise her with that stellar view! Okay, I can do this. Oh wait... I don't wanna have to wake her up early in the morning; she needs her sleep. Sunset it pretty much the same thing anyways, _she Dash inhaled slowly, held her breath at the top for a moment, then let it go. She took off through the sky towards Fluttershy's cottage.

Landing outside of Fluttershy's cottage, the rainbow-maned pony took another deep breath. _, _she chanted an encouraging mantra in her head. She took a few steps to close the gap between her and the door. Another deep breath. And... knock. Moments later Rainbow Dash heard hoofbeats coming from inside the cottage. The rhythmic sound stopped and the door opened to reveal Fluttershy. The pretty Pegasus blushed slightly at the sight of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, hi Rainbow Dash," she greeted meekly.

"Hey there Fluttershy. I uh, was wondering if you might wanna come over and we could, you know, watch the sunset together," Rainbow Dash managed to keep her voice from fluctuating in tone, but it was still a bit shaky.

"Oh, that would be lovely!" Exclaimed the yellow Pegasus.

"Great! Great, uh, so do you wanna come over like, now?" Asked Rainbow Dash awkwardly.

"Oh yes, I would like that," smiled Fluttershy.

So, the two Pegasus friends took to the sky. Rainbow Dash sped off as usual, then noticed that Fluttershy was far behind her. The other Pegasus was already a weak flier and then with the added weight of being pregnant, her flying was significantly compromised. Rainbow Dash flew back to the slower pony. They flew side by side all the way back to Rainbow Dash's home. The trip there was quiet, but it was a comfortable silence.

As they reached Rainbow Dash's home, the sky was turning a bright fuchsia color. The sunset was beginning right on time. The two Pegasus ponies got comfortable next to each other on the soft clouds below them. There was about 13 inches between the two friends. _I bet I can close that gap without her even noticing, _Rainbow Dash smirked to herself; the thought of them being so close gave her heart a little jolt. So, carefully the blue Pegasus moved closer and closer to the yellow Pegasus.

"This is such a beautiful sight," commented Fluttershy quietly. The spot where they had made themselves comfortable overlooked all of Ponyville. It was a clear, calm night and the sky was lit with myriad shades of blues, reds, yellows, and everything in between.

"Yeah, sure is!" Agreed Rainbow Dash. "You're even more beautiful though," she added lamely.

Fluttershy blushed, not thinking that what she said was lame. "Th-thanks."

Rainbow Dash inched even closer to Fluttershy and stretched a wing out across the yellow Pegasus beside her. Fluttershy blushed an even darker shade of red and bravely snuggled in closer to Rainbow Dash. The gap had completely closed between the two bodies. There was a warm tingle of energy that passed between the closely touching body parts of the two mares. Together they bathed in the glow of the setting sun and each other's company.

The sun made it's final appearance before disappearing below the western sky. Fluttershy yawned and let her head fall gently to the ground. But instead of cloud greeting her chin, she felt Rainbow Dash's forelegs. She started to move, but felt Dash's head lay on top of her own. They were comfortably intertwined in the darkness, sharing ardor.

"Fluttershy," whispered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah," answered Fluttershy.

"I think I love you."

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE:<strong> Oh! The cliffhanger! Hopefully it won't take me quite as long to get Chapter 8 up as it did to get this one up.

Also, I wanted to thank everyone for reading and reviewing. All your feedback is really helpful and greatly appreciated!


	8. Chapter 8

"R-really?" Stammered Fluttershy.

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to blush. "Yeah, I do."

"Oh! I-I love you too!" Fluttershy snuggled in closer. A momentary flash of doubt passed through the pregnant mare's mind, but she quickly pushed it down, just wanting to enjoy this moment.

Rainbow Dash beamed as she looked down at the pony pressed up against her side. She laid her head down on top of Fluttershy's plush mane and took in her scent; it was warm and motherly. A hint of sandalwood and lavender wafted up to Rainbow Dash's nostrils. The blue Pegasus could feel her friend's breathing even out as time passed. Rainbow Dash felt her eyelids begin to sag as she yawned. She nuzzled into Fluttershy's mane and let sleep wash over her.

* * *

><p>Rainbow Dash felt a drop of water hit her nose. Then another. And another. Soon it was raining quite steadily, but the sleeping Pegasus beside Rainbow Dash hadn't noticed yet. Rainbow Dash had her wings stretched over Fluttershy so she wouldn't get too wet and cold, but that would only do for so long. The blue Pegasus nudged Fluttershy gently. The quiet little pony stirred slightly, and then cuddled in closer for warmth. Rainbow Dash nudged her a little harder, but still elicited minimal response.<p>

"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash whispered. "It's raining, we need to get inside."

"Hmmm?" Fluttershy mumbled groggily and half opened her eyes.

"C'mon, we need to get inside before it starts to rain any harder," Rainbow Dash urged.

Yawning, Fluttershy said, "O-okay, but I'm not even wet yet." Then she looked up and realized that there was a blue wing shielding her from the rain. "Oh..." The two Pegasus ponies got up and moved into Rainbow Dash's cloud house.

Once inside, Rainbow Dash shook all the rainwater off her coat. "There! Nice and dry."

"That's good," smiled Fluttershy. "I didn't realize how wet you got trying to keep me dry. Thank you."

"Nah, no biggie," Rainbow Dash brushed off her thanks.

"What time is it? We didn't spend the whole night outside, did we?" Asked Fluttershy.

"Umm..." Rainbow Dash looked around for a clock. Finding one she reported the time, "Well, it's 7 am so I guess we did spend the whole night outside," the blue pony chuckled a bit and then yawned. "But we could still fit a few more hours of sleep in."

"Oh! Goodness no, I-I've already slept quite late," fretted Fluttershy. "I'm usually up and doing chores at 6 am. I need to get going!" The flustered Pegasus rushed towards the door.

"Hey now!" Called Rainbow Dash, "What can you possibly have to do in this miserable weather?" She asked, gesturing at the increasing amount of rain that was falling from the sky.

"Oh, I-I... I don't know," giggled Fluttershy. "Stay here and keep you company I guess," she nuzzled up against Rainbow Dash and planted a small kiss on her cheek. "If that's okay with you," she blushed and looked away.

A broad smile found its way across Rainbow Dash's muzzle. "Of course it's okay! It's great actually, I wasn't planning on doing anything really, so we can like, hang out."

"Wonderful," smiled Fluttershy.

"I'll go make some coffee then. Do you want some?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Um… Sure. I've never had coffee before, but I'll try it."

So, Rainbow Dash went to her well-used coffee maker and brewed up a pot of strong coffee. She pulled two mugs out of her cupboards, a large one for herself and a more modest one for Fluttershy. She filled her own cup first, then Fluttershy's. Without asking her, Rainbow Dash put two milk and three sugars in her friend's coffee. She herself took it black, but she figured Fluttershy would want something a little sweeter.

"Thank you," Fluttershy said, taking the mug from Rainbow Dash. She took a sip then made a face.

Rainbow Dash laughed out loud. "Too strong?"

"O-oh my, it's quite… bitter. How do you drink it with nothing in it?" Asked Fluttershy, still making a disgusted face.

Rainbow Dash chuckled and went to get the sugar. "I'll put _a lot _more sugar in it for you then." The blue pony put another five spoonful's of sugar in her friend's coffee. "Better?"

Fluttershy tentatively took a sip, then took another. "Oh yes! Much better, thank you." With her modified coffee, Fluttershy happily sipped at her warm drink.

Fluttershy followed Rainbow Dash as she walked over to one of the massive windows in her cloud home. The two Pegasi stood side by side watching the rain pelt the clouds outside. Much like the night before, they began to inch closer and closer to one another until they could feel the slightest electrical current run between their nearly touching bodies. Fluttershy blushed at the closeness of Rainbow Dash as her proximity brought back memories of the night before. Rainbow Dash smiled next to Fluttershy. She was very happy that she finally made a move.

After they had both finished their coffees, Rainbow Dash closed the small gap between them a placed a light kiss on Fluttershy's cheek. _She smells like coffee and rainwater, _noted Fluttershy. The smell made her shiver with pleasure. Fluttershy nuzzled Rainbow Dash's muzzle and let her nose linger by the blue Pegasus's for a moment. The air that passed through Rainbow Dash nose blew gently into Fluttershy's nostrils and she returned the gesture of affection. They stood like this, sharing air, for almost 20 minutes. Lost in a blissful world of their own they were completely unaware of time passing.

* * *

><p>6 MONTHS LATER<p>

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's relationship continued to bloom in the months that passed since that faithful night on the clouds. They hadn't told any of their friends yet, but they were just waiting for the right time. Rainbow Dash had already told Twilight, but that was only because the little purple unicorn was the one who helped to give her the confidence to make a move in the first place. They had had many discussions on when and how they were going to tell their others friends, but they never came to a solid date that both of them were comfortable with. So, for the time being they just let it be.

Rainbow Dash was flying down to Fluttershy's cottage early one morning to see her mate. The sun was shining and it was going to be a beautiful day. Fluttershy didn't go up to Rainbow Dash's home very often anymore; being nine months pregnant really took a toll on Fluttershy's mobility in the air. Rainbow Dash didn't mind having to fly down to Fluttershy's. She quite liked to fly and it wasn't too far. She could see a little yellow dot just outside of the cottage before she landed. Fluttershy was already outside, basking in the warm glow of Celestia's sun.

"Good morning beautiful!" Greeted Rainbow Dash with a smile.

Fluttershy blushed. This is how she was greeted every morning, but it still made her cheeks turn pink hearing Rainbow Dash call her beautiful. "Good morning."

"How are you feeling today?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, not too bad. My back hurts a bit, you know with the extra weight, but it's really not that bad," Fluttershy brushed off how uncomfortable she actually was. _Only two more months, only two more months, _she thought to herself. She did enjoy being pregnant, just sometimes it really took its toll on the once slender pony.

"That's good," grinned Rainbow Dash. "Wanna go out for ice cream?"

"That would be lovely," Fluttershy answered.

"Great!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed and jumped in to the air, flying around and doing flips. She landed next to her beloved and they walked into town together.

In Ponyville the two Pegasus ponies found an ice cream shop and a nice place to sit and eat their frozen treats. It was a glorious morning to have ice cream for breakfast and this was the best ice cream that Fluttershy had tasted in a long time.

"This is the best ice cream ever!" Exclaimed Fluttershy, mauling her ice cream.

Rainbow Dash laughed, "Is that so?" She asked.

"Oh yes!" Fluttershy replied, ice cream all over her face. Rainbow Dash was still laughing. "What? What's so funny?"

"He-he, here, let me help you," Rainbow Dash said and promptly began to like the ice cream off of the yellow muzzle.

"Oh, thanks," Fluttershy said shyly. Rainbow Dash just smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

Pinkie Pie, who was standing not 20' from them saw this whole exchange and quickly raced over to see her friends. "Ohmygoodness! Heyguys, 'Hey! That's Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash' ! Areyouliketogether? Areyouacouple? Oooooh!Youwouldbesocutetogether!"

Even just listening to Pinkie sucked the energy out of the Pegasi. It took their brains a full 30 seconds to catch up with what Pinkie had been saying after she finished speaking.

"Uh, well, actually Pinkie Pie, we were going to talk to all of you at some point. We just didn't want to quite yet," Rainbow Dash explained.

"Oooh! Sothatmeansthatyouare! You know what that means?" Pinkie Pie oozed.

"Um… should we ask?" Fluttershy mumbled under her breath.

"IT'S TIME FOR A PARTY!" Cried the pink earth pony enthusiastically and ran off.

"Oh no," groaned Rainbow Dash. "Why couldn't it have been any other pony besides Pinkie would found out about this?"

"Oh I know! I love Pinkie's parties, but I don't really want to be in the spotlight," Fluttershy began to fret. "Maybe we should ask her not to. O-or just not show up." Fluttershy was winding herself up more and more, pacing back and forth, chewing on her bottom lip nervously.

"Hey, settle down Fluttershy. It'll be okay, I promise. It's not like you have to do it all by yourself or anything. And this way we can stop worrying about how to tell the other ponies," Rainbow Dash tried to quell her mate's fears.

"B-but there's going to be so many ponies there…"

"It's probably only going to be Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and us. That's not bad right?"

"I-I guess you're right, I just really don't like being the center of attention," Fluttershy replied shakily.

"Well, I _love _it, so I'll take all of the pressure off of you," grinned Rainbow Dash.

"Okay," Fluttershy replied a bit more evenly. "Thank you." They shared a quick embrace then finished eating their ice cream.

* * *

><p>Pinkie Pie's party was held at Sugar Cube Corner. The little earth pony really outdid herself this time; there were streamers and balloons everywhere, cute heart decorations, and lots of treats. Some of the balloons had foals on them, some had hearts, and some were just colorful. As Rainbow Dash had expected, all of their friends were there, but nopony else. All of the ponies besides Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie had no idea what was going on or what to expect. Pinkie just told them that she was throwing a surprise party. No details other than that.<p>

"Who are we surprising?" Twilight had asked.

"It's not who _we're _surprising; it's that _you _will be surprised!" Pinkie smiled broadly.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were the last ponies to arrive. They were enthusiastically greeted by all of their friends. The party atmosphere was infectious and soon all of the ponies were in a great energetic mood. The mares all crowded around Fluttershy, asking how she was feeling, if she was excited, if she had thought of names for the foal, etc. Fluttershy didn't particularly love all of the attention, but she tolerated it because she loved her friends and knew that they meant well and really cared about her.

After about an hour of all the ponies and Spike arriving, Applejack asked, "Not that I don't love yer parties, Pinkie, but could ya tell us what exactly this party is for?"

"I told you," the little pink pony replied in a sing song voice, "It's a surprise party! And it's time for you to be SURPRISED!" Pinkie winked at Rainbow Dash who did nothing. "_Rainbow Dash!_" she stage whispered to her friend. "_Tell them your surprise!_" She urged.

"Oh, well um…" started Rainbow Dash. All the ponies leaned in closer with anticipation of what Rainbow Dash had to say. "I-uh didn't really have anything planned to say, this all just kinda happened," the blue pony chuckled nervously.

"Go on, sugarcube, we're yer friends and will support ya no matter what!" Applejack encouraged her friend.

"Well, our- mine and Fluttershy's- relationship just moved on to a different level," Rainbow Dash said.

The ponies looked a little confused, so Rarity asked, "Are you saying that you two are dating, darling?"

"Um, I guess you could say that?" Replied the rainbow-maned pony.

"Ooh! That is simply wonderful!" Exclaimed Rarity. "I knew you would just be _perfect _for each other."

"So, this isn't a big deal for any of you?" Rainbow Dash inquired.

"Not at all!" Rarity answered. "We just want you to be happy, darlings."

"And to be honest," Applejack piped up, "We all kind of suspected anyways. We were just'awaitin' on you two to tell us when you were ready."

"Really?Youallknew?'CauseIdidn''OHMYGOODNESS," Pinkie Pie energetically vocalized her lack of prior knowledge.

"Heh, well… yeah," answered Applejack.

"Oh, well cool! Now it's out there and everything is good," smiled Rainbow Dash.

"Whydidn'tanyponytellme?Ican'tbelieveyouallknewbutdidn'ttellme!" Whined Pinkie melodramatically.

"Sorry, sugarcube," Applejack consoled the manic pony. "We just wanted to let Rainbow and Fluttershy work it out for themselves."

"So, how long have you known?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"Ah've known 'bout four months," answered Applejack.

"As have I," added Rarity.

"Huh, well I'm glad you girls are all okay with it!" Rainbow Dash said.

"Of course! We love you girls and we just want you to be happy," said Twilight who then initiated a group hug that smooshed Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy in the middle.

"TIME FOR CAKE!" Pinkie exclaimed, escaping from her friends' embraces.

The pink earth pony dashed away to the kitchen and brought back a massive pink and blue cake. It was beautifully decorated with hearts, ponies, and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's cutie marks. It was a two layer butter cream cake with strawberry cream filling in between the layers. Pinkie had put a lot of time and effort into that cake.

"Wow," Fluttershy said as she bit into the rich treat. "This is fantastic Pinkie!"

"Thanks!" Pinkie Pie smiled broadly. "After I saw you two in the park I just knew I had to make something superextraspecial for this party."

The party lasted another two or three hours, and then the ponies started to disperse. Applejack left first because she had to get up early the next morning to start applebucking and it was getting late. She was followed closely by Rarity who "needed to get her beauty rest." Twilight took a sleepy Spike home when Rarity left, leaving the two Pegasus ponies and Pinkie Pie.

Seeing Fluttershy yawn, Rainbow Dash said, "I think this pretty little pony is a tired little pony," she grinned over at the adorably sleepy Fluttershy. "I should probably take her home."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Said Pinkie.

"This was a great party, thank you Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy.

"It was my pleasure." Pinkie hugged her two remaining friends. "Now, you go home and get your rest, mama Fluttershy."

Fluttershy giggled, "Yes ma'am." And with that, the two Pegasus ponies left Sugar Cube Corner and headed for Fluttershy's cabin.

* * *

><p>Once they reached the cottage, Rainbow Dash kissed Fluttershy goodnight. "I'll see you tomorrow honey pie," Rainbow Dash smiled affectionately at her beloved.<p>

"Oh… Um…" Fluttershy started. "Would you… maybe like to stay the night with me?" She finished shyly.

"Sure! I'd love to," Rainbow Dash said and followed Fluttershy into her home.

Angel bunny was stretched out on the couch when they entered the main room. Fluttershy went over to him and gently nudged his soft white fur. He stirred then rolled over to avoid the sensation. Fluttershy pulled back and smiled over him. "I'll just let him sleep," she told Rainbow Dash and pulled a blanket over the sleeping bunny. Yawning again, she added, "Maybe I should get up to bed. I'm quite tired."

"Yeah, I'd be happy to go to bed now too," Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow Dash followed Fluttershy up the slightly winding staircase and to her bedroom. Fluttershy's bed was impeccably made, not that Rainbow Dash was surprised. The rainbow-maned Pegasus paused in the door frame. She watched her mate walk in, but was unsure whether or not she should follow. Until now, she had not been invited to sleep at Fluttershy's, so she had no idea what the protocol was in terms of sleeping arrangements.

Noticing that she was no longer being followed, Fluttershy turned and said, "W-would you like to sleep in here… with me?"

Eagerly, Rainbow Dash replied, "Yeah! Yes."

"Great, come keep me warm," Fluttershy baited as she lay down on her bed.

Rainbow Dash grinned wickedly as she followed her lover into bed. She crawled up next to the warm body that had already found a comfortable spot in the bed. The blue Pegasus nuzzled into the soft pink mane and inhaled that sweet scent again. Fluttershy sighed happily. For a moment everything was perfect. Then Fluttershy started to move and twist uncomfortably.

"What's wrong babydoll?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. My back is just a little sore that's all. Nothing really," Fluttershy said as she was writhing on the bed.

"Well here, let me help you; I'll give you a massage and help relax your muscles a little bit, okay?" Offered Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, that sounds nice," agreed Fluttershy.

Rainbow Dash moved the covers off of Fluttershy and instructed her to lie as comfortably as she could on her stomach. She proceeded to work her hooves down the yellow pony's spine to the dock of her tail. She gently soothed the muscles in and around the delicate wings and withers. As Rainbow Dash continued to work away the tension in Fluttershy's back, she began to gently groom her long pink mane with her teeth. The act of grooming gave Fluttershy a great relaxing feeling along the crest of her mane and neck muscles. The more Rainbow Dash worked, the mellower Fluttershy became.

When the sore pony was almost asleep, Rainbow Dash slowly prompted her to roll over onto one side so that Fluttershy's back was facing her. She ran her hooves in slow, rhythmic circles up and down Fluttershy's back until her beloved was fast asleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR'S NOTE: <strong>Yes, ponies drink coffee. I wrote this chapter while on vacation near Algonquin Park. I had a splendid time writing while looking over the water, sipping a nice glass of Chardonnay. Gotta love life.


	9. Chapter 9

Rainbow Dash had stayed with Fluttershy in her cottage the entire last month of her pregnancy. She wanted to keep her company, make sure she wasn't stressing herself out too much, and to help out with cooking and cleaning. Though the rainbow-maned pony's cooking skills were questionable, Fluttershy appreciated all the help she could get from her mate. She also thoroughly enjoyed the other Pegasus's companionship and felt more at ease knowing there was always going to be somepony around in case anything happened.

Although Rainbow Dash was not thrilled about sleeping in a bed instead of on a cloud, it was a small sacrifice to make to be able to sleep with her beloved and keep her comfortable. Nighttime became a routine for the two ponies now living together: eat supper, wash up, cuddle outside and watch the stars, go upstairs to bed, Rainbow Dash would give Fluttershy a gentle massage until she fell asleep, then the blue pony would allow herself to drift off into dreamland. Both ponies gained great joy from living together and very much enjoyed the roles they had taken on in each other's lives.

On a clear summer night, the two pony mares found themselves staring up at Luna's moon and the stars she had raised. The moon was waxing and nearly full, providing a bright silver light that illuminated all of Equestria at night. The stars twinkled brightly on the midnight-blue sky and made the constellations look like they were dancing.

Rainbow Dash had dragged a cloud just big enough for both of them close to the ground so they would have something soft to lie on. It was only a few feet off the ground so even Fluttershy -very heavy in her last month of pregnancy- could easily fly up and enjoy the heavenly feeling of the soft cloud. The cloud supported all the contours of the ponies' bodies which provided Fluttershy's back with great relief.

Both ponies were laying down comfortably, Fluttershy pressed firmly against Rainbow Dash's side. The blue Pegasus gently groomed her mate, eliciting soft moans whenever she hit a tender spot. Rainbow Dash lightly kissed Fluttershy's eyelids before working her way down her crest, grooming the luxuriously soft pink mane. She spent a lot of time on Fluttershy's back, gently massaging the tired muscles. Fluttershy was slightly disappointed to have the warm body move from beside her, but was quickly lulled into relaxation by Rainbow Dash's magic hooves working over her sore back. The blue pony's hooves moved in practiced motions around the spine and down the sides of the heavily pregnant pony.

Rainbow Dash gasped, and stopped what she was doing for a minute. "What is it?" Fluttershy asked sleepily.

"I felt it move!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash. She quickly put her hooves back to Fluttershy's enormous stomach. "I felt it again!"

Fluttershy smiled maternally down at her mate who now had her ear pressed to the warm yellow belly. Rainbow Dash nuzzled Fluttershy's stomach as she continued to feel movement from within. She had never felt something so incredible in her whole life. At that moment, everything became real to Rainbow Dash. Inside of Fluttershy was a small creature that would change both of their lives forever. Emotions welled up in her that she didn't know she could feel. Tears began to stream from her rose colored eyes and on to Fluttershy's glossy coat.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash, what's wrong?" Fluttershy asked worriedly; she had never seen the other pony cry before.

"I-I'm just so glad that all of this happened- is happening! I love you so much and I already love our foal. I am so ready to start our new life together with our little foal," Rainbow Dash said, joyful streams of water coming from her eyes.

Through happy tears, Fluttershy said, "I love you too." Rainbow Dash's words meant the world to her, and none of this would have been possible without her. "Rainbow Dash, look!" She whispered and gestured up to the sky.

A meteor shower was beginning above them. Shining stars blazed across the sky and fell into the atmosphere, only to disappear. The lights skipped and flew across the dark sky. It was like they had their own private light show that Princess Luna made especially for them. The two ponies fell asleep curled up together on the soft cloud while the sky fell above their heads.

...

Rainbow Dash awoke to the glory of Celestia's sun rising. The love of her life was still curled up and fast asleep next to her. It wasn't often that Rainbow Dash got up early enough to see the sun rise, but she was glad she did today; it was a spectacular sight. The blue pony gently rested her head on her mate's neck and watched the sun make it ascent through the sky.

Once the sun had completed its path to the heavens above, Rainbow Dash felt Fluttershy begin to stir. The blue pony lifted her head so Fluttershy could stretch out. "Good morning beautiful mare," Rainbow Dash greeted.

A soft rose color met Fluttershy's cheeks. "Good morning," she responded.

Rainbow Dash felt her stomach rumble. "Breakfast time!"

Fluttershy giggled at Rainbow Dash's audible hunger. The pair got up and went inside to fix breakfast. Rainbow Dash went to work brewing a fresh pot of coffee while Fluttershy started making some warm mashed oats and bran with brown sugar and apple slices. Soon the kitchen was filled with the aroma of coffee, oats, and sugar. The oven that Fluttershy had used to make the crispy oat mash made the house a comfortably warm temperature.

The two Pegasus ponies took their meal to the kitchen table and began to eat. It was a simple breakfast, but artfully arranged nonetheless. Fluttershy had placed the apple slices on top of the thick oatmeal in a circular pattern and sprinkled brown sugar around the fruit. Once the coffee that Rainbow Dash had put on was finished percolating, she put it into two large mugs. Hers was black, Fluttershy's had copious amounts of sugar in it.

The mares enjoyed a peaceful breakfast with some quiet conversation about one thing or the other. They made their way around to talking about names for their foal, which they had discussed several times with no definitive answer, no possible solution.

"What about Rapid Beat!" Suggested Rainbow Dash.

"Oh… um… I don't… really like that. Oh! What about Ladybell?" Fluttershy responded.

"Ehh… Too sweet! What about… I got nothin'," sighed Rainbow Dash dejectedly.

Fluttershy chuckled softly, "I don't have anything either. It's okay; we'll know when our foal is born." She smiled at Rainbow Dash, and the blue pony got lost in her deep turquoise orbs.

"Let's got take a look at the nursery," Rainbow Dash suggested.

"Okay, that might give us some ideas."

The pair walked upstairs to where they had made the spare room into a nursery for their foal. The walls were painted pink and blue. On the pink walls there were pictures of butterflies and hearts. On the blue walls there were pictures of clouds with rainbow lightening bolts reaching out from beneath, like Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. They had bought a crib that was fairly large and very soft. The bedding was all down feathers densely packed to provide gentle support while still being very soft. The bed was covered in fleece sheets that matched the walls.

The room was ready for a foal and so were Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. All the toys were there, a mobile hung above the crib. The floor was re-carpeted with brand new pink carpet. The two soon-to-be parents stood just inside the doorway looking over the clean, fresh-smelling room knowing that this was probably the only time it was ever going to be this clean. Fluttershy pressed her head under Dash's chin for a small embrace. The two ponies stood there like that for a long time, just enjoying each other's company and daydreaming about what was to come.

….

The rest of the day went very similarly to that morning: the two mares just hung out and enjoyed the nice quiet time they had together. Fluttershy knew in that instinctive maternal way that she would foal soon. She could feel much more movement than normal and her stomach had dropped quite a bit. She was ready for this. _They _were ready for this.

Nighttime came and the two Pegasus mares found themselves outside, like every night, to watch the stars. It was a brilliant full moon that brought light to the otherwise dark sky above Ponyville. The moon was so bright that it nearly eclipsed the stars that usually kept it company in the night sky. The air was still, save the gentle summer breeze that wafted through the sky that made the air not feel quite so heavy.

That night, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy found themselves cuddled up in the sweet grass just outside of Fluttershy's cottage. Rainbow Dash yawned and laid her head down on Fluttershy's stomach to rest. The rhythmic rising and falling of the pregnant belly nearly lulled Rainbow Dash to sleep. Then she felt Fluttershy's whole body tense. As the yellow pony's stomach contracted and wretched, a small moan managed to escape her tightly clenched jaw. Fluid poured out of the yellow pony as her water broke.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" Rainbow Dash fretted. She stood up, then seeing her mate in pain, quickly laid down at her side again. "Fluttershy! I-is there anything I can do?" Rainbow Dash seemed far more nervous than the pony that was actually going through all the physical discomfort.

"N-no… honey…I'm…fine," she panted through contractions. "Just stay… right… here… loveyou."

"I love you too," Rainbow Dash said, nuzzling the now sweating pony.

Fluttershy's entire coat gleamed with perspiration in the light of the moon. Her tail flicked as she tried to reposition herself to get more comfortable. Rainbow Dash tried to groom her struggling mate as they laid sprawled out in the grass. Fluttershy's nostrils flared rapidly, trying to suck as much oxygen in as possible. Every muscle in her body was tense; Rainbow Dash could feel it as she gently stroked Fluttershy's trembling body.

And then, quite suddenly, everything stopped; the breathing, the pain, the stress, the heartbeats. For Rainbow Dash, it felt like time halted eternally, when in reality only a few seconds had passed since Fluttershy's body had calmed. Rainbow Dash thought something was wrong, but was reassured when Fluttershy said, "It's time. Are you ready to meet our new foal? She'll be here soon."

Tears rolled down Rainbow Dash's face. "Yes, I am so ready to meet our baby!" Rainbow Dash watched in silent awe as Fluttershy delivered a miracle.

….

_Dear Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,_

_Time is drawing near for Fluttershy to have her foal. I think it would be in the best interest of Fluttershy and all Pegasus ponies if she were to foal here in Canterlot. Please speak with her and inform me soon as to when you can come._

_Princess Celestia_

"Huh," Twilight commented to herself after reading the princess's letter.

"What did she say?" Asked Spike.

"Well, she thinks that Fluttershy should foal in Canterlot."

"That's probably a good idea," remarked Spike.

"Yeah, I think it's a great idea. I just didn't realize how fast 11 months goes by!" Twilight laughed a bit.

"Yeah, time sure does fly!" chuckled Spike. "Do you think we should go find Fluttershy and tell her about the letter from Princess Celestia?"

"Yes, I think that's a great idea," Twilight announced confidently.

The little purple pony placed the letter from the princess into her saddlebag which she then slipped over her withers and left her library home. Spike ran to catch up with her and jumped on her back, looking for a ride. He had to endure a slightly annoyed glare from Twilight, but she let him stay there. The pony and dragon pair walked through Ponyville, relishing in the beautiful weather. Celestia's sun shone brightly above and not a cloud in the sky.

As they made their way through Ponyville, Twilight couldn't help but notice that there were no birds in town. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't seen any bunnies or squirrels either. The little unicorn would have thought that all of the creatures would be out enjoying the loveliness of the day, but it would seem not. She shrugged it off and continued on her way to Fluttershy's cottage.

The closer the two friends drew to Fluttershy's cottage, the more plentiful the birds and other creatures became. When they neared the humble home of the yellow Pegasus pony, there was an abundant concentration of little woodland creatures. They all chirped happily and flitted around. It seemed like all of the animals of Ponyville were at the gentle pony's home that bordered the Everfree Forest.

Twilight could almost make out a blue pony-shaped blotch through the mess of feathered creatures flying around. And, a yellow one maybe? She just kept walking closer to the cottage, sure that she would soon find her two Pegasus friends. Sure enough, when she got through the hundreds of birds and other woodland creatures that had gathered there she saw Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and…

"Oh! Oh my goodness!" Twilight exclaimed when she saw a tiny blue and pink pony cuddled between her friends.

Fluttershy smiled tiredly at her unicorn friend. Rainbow Dash looked so proud she might just burst. The little foal looked to be not even a few hours old yet. Fluttershy had just finished cleaning it off. The precious little foal was a light blue color, with a pink and blue streaked mane. Her large eyes were the same color as Fluttershy's and took up most of the newborn's face.

"Good morning Twilight," Fluttershy greeted. "You're just in time to see our little filly take her first few steps." Fluttershy rose to her feet, a little shaky, but not too bad. Rainbow Dash rose beside her. They looked down at their newborn who was wanting the comfort and warmth she had just moments before. Fluttershy gently nudged the little blue flank to encourage her daughter to stand up.

The new pony managed to get her front hooves flat on the ground and was almost able to straighten her legs out before she flopped over in the grass. Fluttershy nudged her again, but left her face closer this time to help balance the little filly. The tiny blue Pegasus managed to stand all the way up and take half a wobbly step before she fell this time. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy chuckled softly before encouraging their new baby to try again.

After about 15 minutes the hours-old foal was walking around. She wasn't perfectly stable, but she could get herself close enough to her mother to root for milk. Fluttershy nursed her daughter for the first time in the clear morning air. After she got her fill, the curious little foal began looking around at all the different creatures around her. The birds chirped triumphantly at the baby's first successful feeding and flew around her. The little one wanted to watch everything that was going on around her and in doing so, lost her balance and hit the ground with a soft _thud. _

"How sweet!" Was all Twilight Sparkle managed to say as she made her way closer to the new filly. "Hi there baby," she cooed.

The small blue pony squealed with her tiny voice and moved a little closer to the purple unicorn. She inquisitively sniffed the air around her and then spotted Spike. In seeing the baby dragon, she raced back to her mothers, hiding between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's forelegs.

All three mares and Spike shared a laugh before Fluttershy prompted her offspring to go back towards Twilight. This time the foal went a little farther. She got close enough that Twilight could gently nuzzle her soft baby fur. She didn't stay with Twilight long before she returned to her parents.

"This is a wonderful miracle," started Twilight Sparkle. "Congratulations, both of you. I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks," the two new mothers replied in unison.

"Well, I'll leave you two to get some rest and be with your foal," Twilight said as she turned to leave the happy family.

"Oh, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash called. "You'll tell Princess Celestia?"

"Oh! I completely forgot! That's why I came here in the first place," Twilight laughed. "She sent me a letter asking if you wanted to foal in Canterlot. Too late I guess. I'll let her know that the foal is here."

"Thanks Twi," said Rainbow Dash as she proudly grinned down at her new daughter.

…

Twilight and Spike left the three Pegasus ponies to have time as a family, and returned to her library home. She began to compose a letter to the princess:

_Dear Princess Celestia,_

_I am pleased to inform you that Fluttershy had her foal! A healthy little filly. Please come down as soon as you can to see her and her proud parents._

_Your faithful student,_

_Twilight Sparkle_

…

_Dear Twilight Sparkle, my most faithful student,_

_ That is wonderful news, my dear. I am certain they are quite pleased. I will be down later this afternoon. I am looking forward to seeing you again and the new foal._

_ Princess Celestia_

…

Twilight's heart skipped a beat when she read that Princess Celestia was _looking forward to seeing her again. _The princess still had it, that uncanny ability to turn Twilight into a pile of mush. She loved being in Ponyville with all of her best friends, but she did miss her mentor quite a lot; more than she cared to admit to herself.

Checking the clock, the purple unicorn noticed that it was already 11 am. That wouldn't give the other girls much visiting time before the princess arrived. Nor would it allow for Fluttershy and the foal to rest. _Well, it'll have to be a short visit for the girls, _Twilight thought to herself. She would fix lunch for her and Spike, then go round up Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie.

It was noon by the time Twilight and Spike finished eating and left the library to find the other mares. As luck would have it, Applejack had her apple cart set up in Ponyville to sell apples, which meant that Twilight wouldn't have to backtrack and go all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight trotted happily up to the hardworking earth pony.

"Hi Applejack!" The purple pony greeted.

"Well, hey there Twilight. What're y'all up to today?" The farm pony asked.

"Fluttershy had her foal! I was up to see her this morning and she is adorable! I thought you and the girls might want to see her," offered Twilight.

"Well sheeout! That's great! I would love to go see them," smiled Applejack. "I'll just have to close up shop here."

The earth pony quickly closed up the small apple stand and followed Twilight to find the other two mares. They reached Sugar Cube Corner first. There, they found Pinkie Pie shoving her face with a new creation of Mrs. Cake's.

"Mmmmm! ! Iloooooveeeeeepie! Oh!Higirls! What'sgoingon?" Pinkie spewed words that Twilight and Applejack barely caught.

"Well, Fluttershy had-"

The pink earth pony gasped, interrupting Twilight. "OHMYGOODNESS! DidFluttershyhaveherfoal?Oooooh! Didshedidshedidshe?" Pinkie looked at the two stupefied ponies in front of her with huge eyes.

Twilight chuckled at the typically manic pony's antics. "Yes, she did. We're heading out to see her if you would like to come with us?"

"Oooooh! Iwouldloveto!" Bounced Pinkie. ".Cake!" She bid farewell to the owners of Sugar Cube Corner and followed Applejack and Twilight outside.

The growing group of ponies passed Carousel Boutique. Rarity, seeing all her friends, stepped outside to greet them. "Good afternoon ladies. What brings you all together here on this fine day?"

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Pinkie Pie. "Fluttershyhadherfoal! We'regoingtoseeitrightnow! Comewithus!"

"Oh! That is simply wonderful!" Exclaimed Rarity. "Let us go see this new miracle."

Now complete, the group of mares and Spike headed back in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage. Twilight had wanting to give them a bit more time to get settled, but she knew that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy would want to see their other friends. It had been over an hour since Twilight left, so she hoped that another visit wouldn't be too overwhelming.

Fluttershy greeted the herd of her friends when she saw them, "Oh, hi girls." She had her little foal laying down sleeping cuddled up next to her.

"Howdy Fluttershy," Applejack greeted quietly.

"Hello darling, you look marvelous!" Praised Rarity.

"Hi! Awww, she's so cute!" Pinkie Pie said in an excited whisper.

Fluttershy smiled at her friends, then down at her sleeping filly. Her ear flicked back when she heard a noise. Tilting her head up she saw something graceful fly overhead, then something smaller following it. The objects in the sky landed on the ground and presented themselves as Princess Celestia and Philomena.

"Princess!" Greeted Twilight. "I didn't think you would be here so soon." She trotted over and hugged the tall alicorn.

"It is lovely to see you my dear," Princess Celestia said, returning the embrace. She looked over at the pair of Pegasi with a small, sleeping foal in between them. She walked over to see the new baby. "What a beautiful foal. Congratulations Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash," the princess looked lovingly down at her newest subject. "I brought your friend to see you and your foal, Fluttershy." At that, Philomena flew down from the tree she was perched in and landed next to Fluttershy on the ground. She nuzzled her dear friend who cared so much about her and gentle nuzzled the small foal.

"Thank you Princess Celestia. Thank you Philomena," Fluttershy said as she received Philomena's embrace.

"This is a wonderful miracle and might save the Pegasi race. You three are very special ponies," Princess Celestia said warmly.

"Thank you Princess," Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy responded in unison.

"Girls," the princess called to the group of mares that were standing out of the way. "You may come see Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash's new foal."

The girls eagerly made their way over to the new foal and its mothers. "I don't bite," winked Princess Celestia as they walked up, giving her a wide berth.

Twilight hung close to the princess. She had really missed her over the last couple of weeks and she didn't realize how much until she saw her again. Her fresh smell was one that Twilight recognized as a crisp autumn morning filled her nostrils as she stood with her shoulder gently pressed against Celestia's foreleg. She felt a great energy whenever she was close to the princess.

The mares cooed over the tiny blue and pink foal. The little one was woken up by all of the commotion and noise of her parents' friends. She let out a big yawn that sent a chorus of "awws" passing through the crowd of mares. They all took their turns nuzzling the new baby and grooming it gently. She had that new baby smell and soft baby fur.

Finally, one of the mares, Rarity, asked, "What did you name her?"

"We named her Talya," answered Fluttershy. "It's Turkish for the awakening of nature and joyful tidings."

"How sweet! I love it," commented Rarity.

"It suits her mighty fine," said Applejack.

As the group of friends cooed and gushed over the new foal, Princess Celestia noticed that her favorite student looked a little down. "Why so glum, Twilight? This is a wondrous occasion, you should be happy my dear."

Twilight smiled weakly back at the princess. "Oh, I am. It's just… I really miss being in Canterlot and learning new things about magic and… I really miss you," Twilight finished, blushing slightly.

"I miss you too," said the princess as she bowed down to give her student a hug. "You know, now that this has been shown to be a successful method of reproducing Pegasi, I'm going to need help with all the other Pegasi who want to do this. Would you care to join me back in Canterlot?"

Twilight gasped. "Yes! Yesyesyesyesyesyes!" She bounced happily around, then stopped herself. Clearing her throat she said, "I would love to."

So, it was settled; that night, Twilight was to go home with the princess. All of her friends had an impromptu, yet still amazing goodbye party for her and Spike. Twilight would miss her friends, but she knew that she and the princess would be back to visit to check on the foal and she could visit then.

…

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had been absent from the goodbye party. They were both exhausted and needed to stay with Talya. They said their own farewells to Twilight before she left. They knew that even though she would miss her friends, she would ultimately be happier with the one she loved. Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash admitted that if they were in her position, they would have done the same thing.

Now alone, the two new parents and their little one were curled up outside in the long grass. The trio of Pegasi watched Celestia's sun set and be replaced by Luna's spectacular moon and stars. With Talya fast asleep, the two Pegasus parents started to nod off. Before they were lost in dreamland, Rainbow Dash whispered, "I love you Fluttershy."

"I love you too Rainbow Dash." They shared a quick kiss then fell asleep blissfully under the night sky.

….

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **And it's done! I really hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I'm thinking of doing a story about Twilight's life after this story when she goes back to Canterlot with Celestia. We'll see. I'm crazy busy with university starting up and working, but there's always time for ponies!

Much love to everyone who took the time to read this story! ~AshMiliuTave


End file.
